IndianapolisColts Head Coach Tony Dungy
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(on if it was nice to have extra days to prepare)
It probably was, given that this is a bigger game for us, a divisional game. To have that time off to get refocused is probably good. We went through a lot in the preseason with different schedules, and then opening on Thursday night gets on you fast. I think our guys appreciated having a couple of days off.
(on the large number of former Colts players on the Titans' roster)
I just know they have some pretty good players that came in, some guys that we are familiar with and have a lot of respect for. So it will be that much more interesting. They did themselves well and got some guys who really can play the game.
(on Titans cornerback Nick Harper and his impact on the team)
The thing that he was for us was a very consistent player, a guy who could play run and pass, who understood football and was a very consistent player for us, a guy who made big plays.
(on which team has a competitive edge, based on knowing about the opposing team from former players)
I always think that the people that play the best have the edge. We went through the same thing last week with (former Colts cornerback) Jason David. We've gone through it when we played the Bears in the Super Bowl. It really doesn't come down to that. It comes down to who plays the best, who is the most fundamentally sound and who makes the big plays when they get a chance.
(on why defensive tackle Corey Simon was released by the Colts)
Corey, basically, was an injury situation with us. When he played for us, he played very good football. He was probably part of the best defense we've had here, in 2005. He was a big, big part of it. Unfortunately, we just didn't have him on the field as much as we would like, but he did a great job for us when he was here.
(on if it is tough to prepare for the Titans' two running back system)
No, not really. They run the same plays. Those guys are a little bit different style, but they're good backs. I think a lot of people are getting to that, keeping people fresh, rotating those backs in there. The thing that makes it tough to prepare for [the Titans] is they've got an extra running back in Vince Young. They do things with options where you have to defend him on the outside. I think that's what ended up catching up with Jacksonville. You're trying to defend the quarterback, keep him inside, and that opens up a lot of things. [The Titans] took advantage of it. They found a couple of formations and just stayed with it. It was very, very impressive, and plus they blocked well up front.
